If you’ve got this week’s Black Friday and next week’s Cyber Monday sales etched onto your family’s calendar then you still have time to do your homework to get the best deals around.

For most retail items, its well documented that prices gradually start to rise from early October. That said there are definitely still bargains to be had if you look carefully. These are the loss leaders or “door busters” which can be spotted a mile off as they’re usually limited to a couple of units per person.

Most “sale” items though, will be stores getting rid of old products and end of line items so you need to be doubly sure on the specification you’re after – this is particularly important with regards to technology. You don’t want to be waking up first thing on Friday morning with a barrage of “urgent” emails with this year’s “Must Haves”, “Once Chance Only and “Don’t Miss Out”.

Things is, you probably wouldn’t miss any of these items. If you’re even opening the Black Friday emails from retailers you likely have all the things you actually NEED in life and are just open to a bit of luxury or looking to upgrade some appliances – maybe finding a few treats for the family?

So here’s my top tips to surviving Black Friday:

Know what you want in advance (including size, colour, full specification)

Check how much it has cost in the past. You can use a tracker tool such as CamelCamelCamel.

Have a good idea about where you’re going to buy it from. Register now with them with the hope of getting an email for additional promotions such as additional discounts, added value (e.g. free postage, 10% off your next order, free gift) or just early access to sale areas.

Get comparing prices as soon as you see your item is on sale, just don’t rely on one site saying they have the best deal and remember to check if they do a best price match too.

Check the Terms & Conditions. You may have more legal rights for returning items if you’re buying online. Know your rights!

Once you’re armed with all of this, check out what discounted gift cards are around on sites. If there’s a half price sale on at your favourite store, you could save up to another 25% by buying a gift card ahead of time and using this to purchase your item.

Finally – have fun. It’s a great time to haggle if you’re going in store and I personally love the hunt for a real bargain online so let me know if you’ve found some genuinely good buys.